David Diehl knows he'll be playing somewhere on Giants' offensive line though not yet sure where

Rob Carr/Getty ImagesDavid Diehl knows he'll be playing somewhere next year on the Giants offensive line.

Like a bunch of Giants offensive linemen right now, David Diehl doesn’t know where he’s going to be playing come Week 1 – guard or tackle, left or right.

All Diehl knows is he will be playing, period.

Despite Will Beatty returning from a detached retina to again compete at left tackle, James Brewer coming in as a candidate at right tackle, veteran Kevin Boothe making a case for a full-time role at guard and draft picks Brandon Mosley and Matt McCants entering the picture as prospects.

“That’s great to bring in young guys and have depth and create competition,” Diehl said this afternoon by phone in an interview in part to promote an appearance at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Union this Sunday. “I’ve already been told, ‘You’re getting old.’ I laugh when people tell me I’m old when I’m 31 and have only missed four games. People are asking, ‘Are you worried about your job security?’ This isn’t the first time they’ve drafted somebody at my position and it definitely won’t be the last time.”

Diehl was solid at left tackle last season, especially when taking into account he played the final month of the regular season and the playoffs with a broken hand. Beatty was out with a detached retina but will return this season and will probably get his job back on the left side.

Diehl figures to be a replacement for right tackle Kareem McKenzie, who remains unsigned. In the meantime, he’s already reviewed all of his games from last season, both at left guard and left tackle, to analyze and correct his technique.

“Competition only makes me better and makes me have a stronger mindset,” Diehl said. “Do you think I’m going to let somebody come in and take my job from me, take away my chance to provide for my daughter? Over my dead body will I let that happen.”

Diehl understands the addition of Mosley and McCants, as well as top picks David Wilson and Rueben Randle, will help a team looking to add depth in position where players, such as McKenzie, Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham, have been lost.

“We feel like we’ve got the guys, we feel like we’ve got the foundation, the draft picks we brought in are at positions we need players to step in and play,” he said. “You bring in young talent with that same work ethic and that blue-collar attitude, they’re going to work. It doesn’t matter if these guys are rookies; they’re going to have to step up and contribute.”

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Diehl’s appearance at Dick’s, which opened today in the Route 22 Retail Center in Union, will be from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday. The store, which opens at 9 a.m., will also be giving away unmarked gift cards ranging from $5 to $500, to the first 100 people in line.

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Diehl knew the late Junior Seau rather well. In fact, he recalls running into him on multiple vacations in the Bahamas and elsewhere.

“When we played (the Patriots) in Super Bowl XLII, he obviously wasn’t like he was when he was in San Diego. He wasn’t that same player,” Diehl recalled. “But his whole thing was his intelligence and his instincts and they were just as sharp.

“There were times, when he was in Miami and in New England, where he’d call out plays and you’re in your stance and want to yell out, ‘Nope, no, no it isn’t!’ But he would call them out based on formations and his knowledge, like he was the quarterback of the defense.

“I think about players like Lawrence Taylor, Ray Lewis and Junior Seau. These are guys who changed the game and legends of the sport. So it’s just really sad to have something like this happen.”